Method of producing pulp



March l0, 1931. E. H HUSSEY 1,795,603

METHOD oF PRODUCING PULP I March 10, 1931. E, H, HUSSEY 1,795,603

l METHOD OF PRODUCING PULP Filed March 8 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZZ-E6 A "Ag' Patented Mar. l10, '1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIicE IRWIN' H. HUSSEY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, As'iSIGlQ'OIR,` TO THF BAUER. BROTH- EBS COMPANY, F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO METHOD 0F PRODUCING PULP Application mea Haren ls, 192s. serial No. 260,134.

a particularly pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out the improved method the raw material such as comes from a chipper, hog or shredder is used and as a preliminary step this material is further disintegrated in in the presence of suiiicient Water to thoroughly impregnate and soften the material, but as far as possible without any surplus water which will not be absorbed by the material itself. This may be accomplished in various wa s. l

".zhe material is then subjected to the action of oppositely rotating disks which have a tendency to further disintegrate.the material and this action takes place in the presence of a quantity of water and preferably with the aid of heat which may be supplied either in the nature of steam or hot water. This disintegrating step may be performed by the action of disks rovided Vwith ribs or projections which ten to disintegrate the material between the disks with aminimum of cutting effect. The material is thus subjected to a rolling, pressing and rubbing action which tends to further reduce the material without cutting and to thoroughly hydrate it by reason of the action of the elements in the disks on the fibre in the presence Aof the water which is used during this step of the process. The last two steps mentioned may be the result of the action of separate devices or they may be incorporated in a single device, the result being that the material is thoroughly reduced and hydrated so that it comes out in a perfectly pulped condition.

There is illustrated in the accompanying drawings devices by means of which this process may be accomplished.

In the said drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of such devices.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the rotatingY two sectional views of the instrumentalities which may be used in the preliminary step.

Figs. 6-11 are detail views of some of the elements that may be employed in the second and Afinal steps of the process.

Referring to Fig. l, the material is fed from a suitable hopper or supply 1 through suitable feeding devices 2 to a disintegrating machine 3 which may be operated by a motor 4 and which is supplied with water from suitable piping connections 6 and the material thus acted upon is discharged into a conveyer 7 from which it is conveyed to the secondary apparatus 8.

While there is shown a disintegrator inthe nature' of a rotating disk against a similar stationary disk this same result may be produced by two oppositely rotating disks or by a system of disintegrating rollers which' would have a tendency to reduce the material and thoroughly impregnato it with water, the water being fed to the rolls in any desirable Way, but in suiicient quantity only to impregnate the material and without any material surplus of water which would pass from the disintegrator to the conveyer, the purpose being to have the material reduced and thoroughly impregnated but in such a condition that it can be readily conveyedv t-o the secondar apparatus. Inasmuch as it is desirable t at the secondary apparatus not only further reduce the material but thoroughly hydrate the same it is preferable that this process be carried on at a slower rate than the preliminary step and it is usual in our process to use a plurality of these secondary devices in connection with a single disintegrator, these secondary devices being fed by the conveyer which carries the material from the disintegrator to each of the secondary machines.

For this secondary operation and which may embody both the second and third steps of the process there is preferably employed high-speed rotating disks 9 and 10 which are preferably driven by motors 11 and l2 or other suitable means of power so that these disks are rotated at high speed in opposite directions. The speed required will depend on` the nature of the original material and amount of hydration desired. From the c onv'eyer the material is fed through a suitable conduit 13 and a suitable feedin device 14 into the center of the rotating disks one of them being formed with an eye at the center for this purpose. The pipe 6 is also connected to this device so that water can be fed in with the material in the feeding device and also into the disks themselves and means are rovided for introducing steam or hot water y means of piping 6. The amount and temperature of water needed will depend on the material and consistency required for the re uired hydration.

here is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the con- `struction of the disintegrating and impregnating device which has been found satisfactory in use and in which the segmental plates 3 of the opposed disintegrating elements are formed with a series of radially extending ribs 15 and the faces of these respective parts are formed with a series of concentric depressions or grooves 16 with corresponding and opposing elevations 17 on the opposite element, the purpose being to form a series of more or less tortuous channels for material which is fed from the center of these elements outwardly and one in which the impregnating water is more or less retained and with the result that a proper disintegration and saturation is secured with minimum consumption of power.

While such a device has been found to be effective in use, as before stated the same result may be obtained by any suitable disintegrating device such as rollers or Shredders where means are supplied for furnishing the desired amount of water to secure saturation without floating the material in an excess of water.

In the secondary operation, there is provided on the plates 9 and 10 of the oppositely rotating disks a series of radially arranged disintegrating ribs 19 as shown in detail in Fig. 10 in which the ribs are each arranged inclined from base to point in the general direction of rotation and if the device is to perform merely the second step of the process which is for the reduction of the material and partially hydrating the same, the entire surface of these plates may be provided with this form of disintegrating ribs or elements, which will be followed by a further operation of rolling, pressing and squeezing action.

When it is desired however to complete the process of pulping in the secondary apparatus these two steps may be secured by forming the outer rows of radially arranged teeth 20, these extending from the point near the middle to the periphery of the plates with the inclination of each tooth from base to point in a general direction opposite to the rotation of the disks as shown in Figs. 7 8 and 9. The number of rows of these* different forms of operating elements may be varied and in Fig. 6 there is shown one row of the secondary disintegrating elements and three rows 'of t e rolling, pressing and rubbing elements.- Inasmuch as these disks rotate in opposite directions at fairly high speed and are arranged to practically touch each other at their outer peripheries, the material is disintegrated, squeezed, rolled and rubbed in the presence of water and preferably also in the presence of heat furnished by the introduction of steam or hot water so that it is not only thoroughly disintegrated but it is thoroughly hydrated and ulped and discharged from each machine t ough the discharge opening 18 in a finished condition.

It has been foundthat by this method better pulp can be produced with longer fibres and in a more rapid manner and in a continuous operation than is possible by any grinding action with which we are familiar and with less consumption of power and where a plurality of-the secondary devices are employed the pulp is produced as a continuous process in much larger quantities than can be secured in other methods now generally employed.

In Fig. 2 there is shown in the casing surrounding the disk a water pipe 22 to admit a jet of water adjacent the periphery of the disks in the upper portion of the casing for cleansing purposes.

Having thus described the invention, it is o claimed:

1. The method of producing pulp from fibrous material such as wood chips consisting in, first, disintegrating the material in the presence of sufficient water to thoroughly impregnate the same but without any substantial amount of surplus water; second, further reducing and disintegrating the material in the presence of a large quantity of water; and, finally rolling, pressing and squeezing the material without appreciably cutting the same between rotating relatively movable disks having teeth inclined in an opposite direction to the direction of rotation.

2. The method of producing pulp from fibrous material such as wood chips which consists in initially reducing the material in the presence of water, and thereafter subjecting the material to a final reduction by rolling, pressing and squeezing the material between oppositely rotating disks having radially arranged teeth which are inclined from base to point in a direction opposite to that of the direction of rotation to separate the material into long fibres without appreciably cutting the fibres.

-3. A system for producing pulp from iibrousmaterial such as wood chips in which prelimmarily reduced and water-saturated material is further reduced by oppositely rotating disks each of which has radially arranged teeth or projections inclined in opposlte directions, with the teeth inclined from base to pomt in a direction opposite to that lll! of the Arection of rotation to separate the material into comparatively long fibres by rolling, squeezing action without appreciably cutting the fibres. I

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto Set my hand this 6th day of March, 1928.

ERWIN H. HUSSEY. 

